In What Are You Doing for Lunch? A Friendly Guide to Brown Bagging as a Better Way to Lunch, author Mona Meighan provides 70 recipes for lunches that are inexpensive and a snap to prepare.

You will not only have more control over what you're eating, you may have extra time to take a walk or hit the gym instead of spending your lunch hour standing in line or sitting in a restaurant.

Here is a recipe from the book to try. It's is a very nutritious combination of hummus on a whole-wheat tortilla wrap layered with cheese, tomato and lettuce. It meets 24 per cent of your protein needs for the day.

HUMMUS SALAD WRAP

Makes 2 servings.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cost (per serving) $1; restaurant price $5

50 ml (1/4 cup) hummus (recipe follows)

2 large whole-wheat or flour tortillas (you can also use bread)

1 tomato, thinly sliced

2 thin slices Swiss cheese

2 lettuce leaves, cut up

Spread hummus over entire tortilla. Add tomato, cheese and lettuce. Tightly roll tortilla and skewer it with a toothpick, if desired.

Hummus is easy to prepare and is a nutritious addition to a healthy lunch. If you have the time to make your own hummus, you can see how easy it is and how much you save from buying it already made. You can also eat it with crackers or with cut-up vegetables.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cost (per serving) $0.50; restaurant price $2.50

1 can (425 g/15 oz) chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid)

1 garlic clove, cut up

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

2 ml (1/2 tsp) pepper

15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

10 ml (2 tsp) ground cumin

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients. Blend on low speed. Add some of the reserved liquid if you want thinner hummus.

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